PALM HARBOR, Fla. — In a stunning showcase of skill at the Valspar Championship, Billy Horschel managed to pull off an incredible shot by hitting a 9-iron left-handed from near the base of a tree. This remarkable feat is exactly what fans might expect from a seasoned PGA Tour player, with Horschel delivering a shot from an unusual stance and sending it high into the air, landing it neatly onto the green.
This was no ordinary shot; it was a left-handed strike with an inverted 9-iron on the par-5 fifth hole, resulting in an improbable birdie. Crowning this achievement was a successful 30-foot putt that followed. Horschel’s extraordinary efforts led to him finishing in a tie for fourth place in the tournament.
The situation arose when Horschel’s earlier 3-iron sent the ball just right of a large pine tree, leaving him with no choice but to attempt the next shot left-handed. “There was no other way to play it but lefty,” explained Horschel. “I grabbed a 9-iron, hoping it wouldn’t carry too far. My aim was simply to get the ball airborne and straight.”
The challenge wasn’t just on the course; it extended to the gallery, particularly his young son. “The funny thing is, my little boy was about 50 yards in front of me, just to the left on the cart path. He was sitting down, and I had to shout at him to move out of the way because I had no idea where the ball might go,” Horschel recounted. “The last thing I needed was to make a call to my wife explaining I hit our son with a golf ball.”
Ultimately, the shot was an optimistic swing, one that astoundingly succeeded. “It was a hit-and-hope kind of shot, and I pulled it off. To follow that with a successful putt… It’s moments like these that make golf unpredictable and exciting,” Horschel reflected.
